Star Seller Message Rating Dropped

[SavingTreasure]

My message rating dropped because I didn’t respond to a personal message that was sent to me as a BUYER, not a SELLER. The message was regarding when my item was going to be shipped and didn’t require a response. I don’t receive many messages per month so missing one message lowers my stat from 100 to 86 percent. I didn’t know a personal message could effect star seller! Is that in our seller hand book?

[mommawhazelsquilts]

If you haven't done so, now is the time to read the rules.

All first messages in a thread from both buyer and seller must be replied to within 24 hours.

It takes 19 replied to messages to offset that 1 not responded to.  That message did require a response.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Yes it's in the handbook,

it's even in a highlighted grey box

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503?segment=selling

The Message response rate only applies to the first message in a thread. Initial messages from both buyers and sellers on Etsy are counted towards the Message response rate. 

To help keep track of messages you should prioritize for Star Seller metrics, notification badges are displayed on messages which are: 

• A buyer’s first time contacting you
• A new help with order request

Both of these types of messages need to be responded to in 24 hours to be counted positively toward your Star Seller score.

[BagmakerSupply]

@SavingTreasure: "Is that in our seller hand book?" As it says right on your Star Seller page and elsewhere, you need to reply to the FIRST message of EVERY NEW INCOMING THREAD within 24 hours. It does not matter who sent it, the subject matter, if it is a duplicate or blank or anything else. If it is SPAM then it should be marked as such. The Star Seller metric for messages is very simplistic and binary - either you replied to (or marked as SPAM) that first message of a new incoming thread within 24 hours or you did not.

A controversial workaround : if the unanswered new thread is not a Help Request, at least for the time being, it appears that marking an unanswered new thread as SPAM (even after the 24 hour deadline has passed) will cause your reply percentage to change in a day or two if the original message was within the current star seller period (but not retroactively). Note that subsequent messages from that account may go directly to the SPAM folder.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

A reply is to answer or to spam.  You have 2 choices for all new messages be those messages to you as the buyer or the seller.

If you want to avoic open a buyer only account.